How to Read Your Bible 101ნიმუში

Matthew 7:24, Build your house. I want to start today by looking at Jesus' parable about how to build our life. Matt. 7:24-27 ESV- 24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. It's not those who hear the Word that are blessed. It’s those who hear and apply it. Blessed are you if you do them. It's not enough to just hear God’s Word. Just hearing is merely deceiving ourselves if we don’t put it into practice.

John 13:17 ESV - 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV - 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

James 1:22 ESV- 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

It's not about empty knowledge. It’s filling up on God’s way of thinking and letting God direct our steps. Romans 6 tells us the one we obey is the one we have made our master. Christianity isn’t a series of beliefs that we check off a list so that we can go to heaven. It is an invitation to walk with God. He gave His life for us and we get to surrender our life to Him. We get a new identity in Him and that comes with so much. It is meant to affect and direct every part of our lives.

James 2:17-20 ESV - 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

John 17:3 ESV - 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

In God’s Word, we can see God revealed, and when we know Him it can change our very nature. Yes, I did say change our nature. Our natures need to change. Some of the things that we say make us who we are, should go. Maybe it's our temper, the way we speak, pride, lust, or negativity... The list could be endless, but we are told to put to death our old nature. We are told we are tempted by our own desires (James 1:14-15). The fact that we have desires that are contrary to God’s directions is never disputed. But we are called to lay those desires down before the Lord. It's called being a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). The more time we spend getting to know God, the easier this becomes. Before we declare our character unchangeable, let's look at what happens to nature when it truly knows God.

Isaiah 11:6-9 NKJV - 6 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

This passage seems so crazy because the nature of a wolf is to eat a lamb. The nature of a leopard is to eat the goat. Each of these have been transformed into something new. But what is the secret that changed them? Verse 9 FOR the earth shall be full of the KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD. Just as knowing Him can and will change them, so too can it change us. It can transform the selfish, greedy, lustful, and addicted, … and transform us into His image. As we spend time in the Word, let’s apply His Word to our lives and let it mold us into His image.